01-31-2024, 03:44 PM
Earlier this year, the bomb-throwers in the House insisted there will be no Ukrainian aid (which has widespread support) without a border bill. So, it turns out that the Senate has quietly been working on just such a bipartisan compromise bill.
The problem is, the Trumpies really don’t want a border bill. Trump himself has railed against it, saying “stupid Republicans” shouldn’t give Biden a win, even though it’s said to be basically the same bill Trump asked for in 2018.
The Trumpies have even gone so far as to censure the wild-eyed liberal Senator from Oklahoma, James Lankford, for the sin of being the lead Republican negotiator in the effort to solve the problem. These folks haven’t actually seen the bill, of course- just consorting-with-the-enemy is enough for them to threaten his political career.
And in response, perhaps finally, Republican Senators are getting PO’ed at being jerked around by Trump.
Says Mitt Romney, it’s “really appalling”:
Says Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC):
Says Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND):
Says Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), members need to remember how big this moment is for the border and for Ukraine and put their own politics aside.
McConnell sounds like he may have had enough of Trump’s antics too. Are you counting? I am. The spineless blobs like Cruz are still kowtowing to Trump’s demands, but could it be possible that there would be enough grown-ups on the Republican side to help get 60 votes (assuming squishes like Sinema and Manchin could be counted on to overcome a filibuster)?
Mike Johnson says any Senate bill is dead on arrival in the House, but with a razor-thin majority, am I dreaming that a discharge petition, requiring a simple majority vote to bring a bill to the floor, might change that?
Yeah, I’m probably dreaming. The GOP seems to have fully morphed from Government cannot do anything good to Government must not do anything good.
But sometimes dreams come true.
The problem is, the Trumpies really don’t want a border bill. Trump himself has railed against it, saying “stupid Republicans” shouldn’t give Biden a win, even though it’s said to be basically the same bill Trump asked for in 2018.
The Trumpies have even gone so far as to censure the wild-eyed liberal Senator from Oklahoma, James Lankford, for the sin of being the lead Republican negotiator in the effort to solve the problem. These folks haven’t actually seen the bill, of course- just consorting-with-the-enemy is enough for them to threaten his political career.
And in response, perhaps finally, Republican Senators are getting PO’ed at being jerked around by Trump.
Says Mitt Romney, it’s “really appalling”:
“The American people are suffering as a result of what’s happening at the border,” he said. “And someone running for president ought to try and get the problem solved, as opposed to saying, ‘Hey, save that problem! Don’t solve it! Let me take credit for solving it later.’”
Says Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC):
“I didn’t come here to have the president as a boss or a candidate as a boss. I came here to pass good, solid policy," Tillis said. “It is immoral for me to think you looked the other way because you think this is the linchpin for President Trump to win.”
Says Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND):
“There are a good number of people for whom border security is too good an issue to give up,” said. “And I do reject that. I’ve always rejected the notion that perfect has to be the standard."
Says Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), members need to remember how big this moment is for the border and for Ukraine and put their own politics aside.
“I’m not giving up. This is not about Trump and this is not about me. This is about our country. This is about democracy around the world. This is about security for our own country and so let’s keep pushing to get this border deal,” she said. “Let’s stand by the commitments that we have made for our friends and our allies so that our word actually means something.”
McConnell sounds like he may have had enough of Trump’s antics too. Are you counting? I am. The spineless blobs like Cruz are still kowtowing to Trump’s demands, but could it be possible that there would be enough grown-ups on the Republican side to help get 60 votes (assuming squishes like Sinema and Manchin could be counted on to overcome a filibuster)?
Mike Johnson says any Senate bill is dead on arrival in the House, but with a razor-thin majority, am I dreaming that a discharge petition, requiring a simple majority vote to bring a bill to the floor, might change that?
Yeah, I’m probably dreaming. The GOP seems to have fully morphed from Government cannot do anything good to Government must not do anything good.
But sometimes dreams come true.
